Apparently Coach Cal came into the Smith home and listed the number of NBA players and aggregate $$ they have achieved in the NBA. Said something along the lines of "my players don't come here with intentions of playing 4 years of college basketball and getting an education, they come to get in the NBA an make millions." Didn't sit extremely well with the family.
One of my old basketball coaches is on the Edwardsville staff now and noted all he is hearing is MSU. Apparently Coach Cal came into the Smith home and listed the number of NBA players and aggregate $$ they have achieved in the NBA. Said something along the lines of "my players don't come here with intentions of playing 4 years of college basketball and getting an education, they come to get in the NBA an make millions." Didn't sit extremely well with the family.
Meanwhile Smith's father was in the room wearing a MSU hat the whole time Cal was giving his pitch.
I hope it is Illini and want to be wrong but after knowing the family as a basketball family and seeing how they have been taking the right approach throughout this recruitment, I can't blame them at all to play for one of the better coaches of all time.
How dumb of Calipari to do that.
One of my old basketball coaches is on the Edwardsville staff now and noted all he is hearing is MSU. Apparently Coach Cal came into the Smith home and listed the number of NBA players and aggregate $$ they have achieved in the NBA. Said something along the lines of "my players don't come here with intentions of playing 4 years of college basketball and getting an education, they come to get in the NBA an make millions." Didn't sit extremely well with the family.
Meanwhile Smith's father was in the room wearing a MSU hat the whole time Cal was giving his pitch.
I hope it is Illini and want to be wrong but after knowing the family as a basketball family and seeing how they have been taking the right approach throughout this recruitment, I can't blame them at all to play for one of the better coaches of all time.
Yeah I kinda find it hard to believe Cal does that... he's been doing this successfully long enough. He'd be insane to basically tell his recruits that they'll be failures if they aren't one-and-dones.
Yeah I kinda find it hard to believe Cal does that... he's been doing this successfully long enough. He'd be insane to basically tell his recruits that they'll be failures if they aren't one-and-dones.
I'm just curious, does anybody know why his father is so anti-Illinois? Is it just he wants his son to be in a program with more recent success, or is there something else going on there?
On Cal, after watching ESPN one and done, it's clear that is his pitch and focus...put kids in the NBA. Education and even winning championships is secondary for him. You would think he would do his homework on a specific families'values and tailor/temper his "NBA or bust" pitch a little though.How dumb of Calipari to do that.
One of my old basketball coaches is on the Edwardsville staff now and noted all he is hearing is MSU. Apparently Coach Cal came into the Smith home and listed the number of NBA players and aggregate $$ they have achieved in the NBA. Said something along the lines of "my players don't come here with intentions of playing 4 years of college basketball and getting an education, they come to get in the NBA an make millions." Didn't sit extremely well with the family.
Meanwhile Smith's father was in the room wearing a MSU hat the whole time Cal was giving his pitch.
I hope it is Illini and want to be wrong but after knowing the family as a basketball family and seeing how they have been taking the right approach throughout this recruitment, I can't blame them at all to play for one of the better coaches of all time.
You would think he would do his homework on a specific families'values and tailor/temper his "NBA or bust" pitch a little though.
I don't think he's anti-illinois. He is just a father who wants his son to make sure he knows all of his options before making the biggest decision he has had to make. But i've said it before and i'll say it again.
There's no place like home.
On Cal, after watching ESPN one and done, it's clear that is his pitch and focus...put kids in the NBA. Education and even winning championships is secondary for him. You would think he would do his homework on a specific families'values and tailor/temper his "NBA or bust" pitch a little though.
Yeah, John Calipari clearly has no idea what he's doing.
This is the last you'll hear of me till after he commits, don't want to make his special day any less exciting for him! It's coming folks, go Illini!
I don't think he's anti-illinois. He is just a father who wants his son to make sure he knows all of his options before making the biggest decision he has had to make. But i've said it before and i'll say it again.
There's no place like home.
I'm stating the wildly obvious, but the trajectory of the program could significantly change on Wednesday.
With the caveat that every recruit is a gamble in terms of what they actually produce on the court, the narrative win - "Brad Underwood stares down Izzo, Calipari and Matta to keep Illinois Mr. Basketball home" - is tough to put a price on, and we'd get it and its benefits immediately.
Well after reading the last few pages I have gone from confident to not so confident :/